


Therapy

by LGCoffeeAddict



Category: NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: Drinking Games, F/F, a lil fluff a lil angst a lot of wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:23:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22900135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LGCoffeeAddict/pseuds/LGCoffeeAddict
Summary: In the aftermath of yet another case where Hannah's family was targeted, Hannah has trouble processing her emotions on her own. Tammy helps Hannah decompress with a drinking game. After all, who needs therapy when there's wine?
Relationships: Tammy Gregorio/Hannah Khoury
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> So this was something I'd had outlined for about a month now, and Waiting for Monroe made me lose my mind to the point that I finally got off my butt to write this. There may be a little dialogue from that episode in here, because there was just too much delicious conversation happening in that episode for me not to. Enjoy!

Hannah almost fell into her office chair as soon as the rest of the team filtered out of the room en route to the Tru Tone, letting the stress of the last week finally slip off her shoulders. Leaning forward so she could rest her face in her hands, she tried to erase the image of the surveillance photos of her daughter from her brain. Naomi at her soccer practice, walking into school, hugging her father, the scenes just kept replaying behind Hannah’s eyelids.

She tried not to focus on the noticeable lack of herself in the pictures of her daughter, that it looked like she wasn’t involved in Naomi’s life. She told herself her family just happened to be targeted and threatened during a week Naomi was staying with Ryan. _God, that’s absolutely not the important part of this week_ , she chided herself.

No, the important part was that, once again, her kid was almost caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous drug dealer. Once again, the people she worked with got front-row seats to her screwed up relationship with Ryan. They saw Ryan blame her for jeopardizing Naomi’s safety again, though at least he had the courtesy to hold his tongue until they were out of earshot. Hannah was acutely aware of Sebastian, Tammy, Pride, and Patton watching their argument through the glass windows of the conference room. Ryan’s body language was certainly emphatic enough to let her team know that’s what it was.

As scared as she was that the head of a drug cartel had taken out his anger that she’d arrested his right-hand man on threatening to take away her daughter, she _hated_ how often her personal life seemed to be open for everyone to see now.

“Hey, you okay?” Hannah’s head whipped up, startled to see Tammy standing by her own desk as she took something from it.

Inhaling sharply, Hannah answered, “Yeah, I’m fine. I thought you left with the others.”

Tammy nodded, raising the keys in her hand. “I did, but I forgot my keys.” Sitting against the edge of her desk, Tammy regarded Hannah thoughtfully. “You gonna come out tonight?”

Hannah smiled tiredly before shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”

“You feeling ok?”

Sighing, Hannah shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “I’m, uh, not really sure how I’m feeling right now, but I just know the Tru Tone just sounds like too much for me tonight.”

“I get that,” Tammy said, her considering gaze never leaving Hannah’s face. “You want to talk about it?”

Hannah ran her hands through her hair and peered up at the ceiling, hoping it contained the words to describe how messed up her priorities were. “I honestly don’t know how to talk about it. This week just really…,” she sighed again and let her head fall against the back of the chair, “sucked.”

When Tammy didn’t say anything in response, Hannah raised her head again. “What?”

Tammy straightened, a determined look in her eyes. “Wait here.” She started to make her way out of the office. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

She was out the door before Hannah had the chance to question or object, leaving the agent staring at the door left open in Tammy’s wake. Oddly enough, Hannah noticed she felt slightly less emotionally drained, if only because she now felt thoroughly confused by Tammy’s actions.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Tammy walked back into the field office with two black plastic bags in tow. “I’m back,” she announced, seeing Hannah lift her head from where she’d been resting on her arms.

“Finally,” Hannah said. “You left me in suspense here, Gregorio. What’s going on?”

“Come to the kitchen, and I’ll tell you.” Tammy made her way to the door to the kitchen, hearing a resigned Hannah slowly following suit behind her.

Hannah walked into the kitchen to see Tammy place the bags on the island counter. “So? You going to tell me now what all this stuff is for?”

“Take a seat,” Tammy instructed as she took two bottles of red wine out of one of the bags. Hannah’s brow raised in surprise but obeyed, jumping up onto the counter next to the coffee maker. She watched Tammy pull a corkscrew and a bag of popcorn out of the other bag.

“Tammy, what is all this?”

Twisting the corkscrew into one of the wine bottles, Tammy finally answered with more than just directives. “We,” she said with another squeaky twist into the cork, “are going to play a drinking game to get you to feel better.”

“A drinking game?” Hannah couldn’t quite keep the incredulous laugh out of her voice. “How will that make me feel better?”

“By talking about it,” Tammy explained, smiling as she got the cork out with a satisfying pop. “Alcohol tends to help with that sort of thing.”

“Alright, then what kind of drinking game will we be playing?” Hannah asked while Tammy walked around the island and handed Hannah the open bottle of wine.

Tammy slid up on the counter across from Hannah and opened the bag of popcorn. “It’s simple. Every time you take a sip you have to say one thing that’s bothering you.”

Hannah looked down at the bottle in her hand, wondering if the dark liquid inside would actually help her deal with the hell from this past week. She took a deep breath and raised the bottle. “I’m not used to having my personal life be on display for the people I work with.” She took a swig and handed the wine to Tammy.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a hazard of the job here,” Tammy ceded as she accepted the proffered bottle. “But being all up in each other’s business has definitely saved all of our lives at one point or another.”

“I guess so. I just spent the last ten years before coming here undercover, where if my personal life came up, I was dead—or my family was.” Hannah kicked her legs back and forth, not looking up as she continued, “I just haven’t really been able to separate the two in my head yet.”

“Shit, no wonder you’ve been so on edge,” Tammy exhaled. “I just thought you were a private person.”

“I don’t think a normal private person would wait a month before telling anyone I have a kid,” Hannah laughed, remembering how curious Tammy’d been about her when she first arrived.

“Fair.” Tammy lifted the bottle to her lips with a wry smile. “I broke up with my girlfriend last week.” She took a long pull from the bottle and handed it back to Hannah. “And Sebastian won’t shut up about how much he misses her.”

Hannah ran a thumb against the lip of the bottle to pick up the stray wine and licked it off the pad of her finger while she examined Tammy’s carefully neutral expression. “Your idea or hers?”

“Mine,” Tammy answered. “We weren’t even dating that long, but Sebastian imprinted on her like a little duckling.” She looked expectantly at Hannah, clearly ready to move on to Hannah again.

Dropping it for the time being, Hannah carried on. "I've been terrified all week that Jenson would follow through on his threat to hurt Naomi." She took a sip, her face tightening. "I've never felt so helpless."

Tammy reached out for the bottle. "I'd hardly call bringing down his entire drug operation helpless," she said, "but it must have been painful to stay away from her when she was in danger like that." Hannah just nodded slightly, a haunted look in her eyes. She didn't seem to hear Tammy. "I don't like seeing you blame yourself like this." She handed the wine to Hannah after her drink.

Hannah seemed to finally register Tammy's words when the bottle entered her line of sight. “I’m worried Naomi will resent me for all the stress I’ve put her through and all the parts of her life I’ve missed because of my job.” Hannah’s voice was soft, her eyes downcast before she squeezed them shut and tipped back the bottle. She still didn’t look up from her lap when she was done, so she wasn’t prepared for Tammy to slide off the counter and gently tug Hannah to the floor as well. She glanced up at the brunette questioningly.

Tammy looked serious, her hand warm on Hannah’s wrist. “Naomi is safe, and she will continue to be,” she said. “You never hide anything from her about your life, which is why she trusts you and is so unbelievably proud of you. She could never resent you for it.”

Even though it wasn’t exactly a new statement, Hannah took another sip of wine. “I just feel so lucky to have such an understanding kid, but I…I guess I’m scared to think of how that might change as she gets older.”

Sitting on the tile floor, Tammy patted the space beside her. Hannah obliged her unspoken request without objection, leaning against the cabinets as her shoulder brushed Tammy’s. “I’m not sure if this will make you feel better—” Tammy took the wine from Hannah and raised it as if ready to give a toast— “but every teenager becomes a little bit of a jerk to their parents, even when they love and respect them.”

A small smile found its way onto Hannah’s face. “I’m not sure if that made me feel better either.”

“Then we gotta fix that,” Tammy said, “with bigger gulps.” She tipped her head back and lifted the wine to her lips, practicing what she preached.

When Tammy finished her drink with a playful wink, Hannah felt a laugh bubble out of her. “But you haven’t said anything yet.”

“Oh, right,” Tammy said, pouting. “I can’t think of anything. We could just focus on you from now on.” She tried to give Hannah the bottle, but Hannah held her hands up in refusal.

“Uh uh, you’re not getting out of it that easily.” Hannah fought back another smile at the disappointment in her friend’s face. “Why’d you break up with your girlfriend?”

Sighing, Tammy took another sip of the wine bottle that was woefully still in her possession. “She wanted to introduce me to her parents.” She shoved the bottle to her left, feeling Hannah’s fingers brush hers when she finally accepted the wine.

“And that’s bad why?”

“I don’t do parents.”

“Why?” Hannah pressed, watching Tammy’s profile as she stared at the cabinet directly across from her.

Tammy reached back for the wine bottle, which Hannah surrendered easily. The profiler held the glass to her lips and almost whispered, “Because I can’t introduce girls to my mom,” before taking a drink.

In the silence that followed, Hannah knew there was a big reason why Tammy couldn’t deal with parents, but also knew she may need more time before telling Hannah. Rubbing Tammy’s arm in what she hoped was a comforting manner, Hannah took the bottle back and took a sip, also turning to face the cabinets. “I hate that Ryan has lost faith in me as a mother.” Sip. “And that even the surveillance photos prove that I am not there enough for Naomi.” Another sip. “And I hate that it bothers me that someone stalking my daughter showed me my own shortcomings.”

The bottle was a little over half empty now, and Tammy slowly took it back. “My mom still doesn’t know I’m gay.” She took a large gulp. “I’ve always been too scared to tell her.”

Hannah’s head turned back to look at Tammy, who still stared steadfastly ahead. “I can’t imagine how hard that must be to hide a part of your life from her.”

Tammy shrugged. “It’s why I don’t talk to her all that often. It’s easier to deflect her questions about my love life that way.” Hannah’s hand found hers and gave it a squeeze, which Tammy returned. A beat passed where they both just sat there, their intertwined hands anchoring them against all the stresses of their life. “Your turn again.”

Grasping the dark bottle, Hannah let go of Tammy’s hand to fiddle with the edge of the label that had started to peel off. "I miss Christopher." Sip.

Wordlessly, Tammy took the bottle and drank in agreement. They let another few moments pass in silence as they mourned their fallen friend. Tammy handed the wine back to Hannah.

“Can I be selfish?” Hannah asked, hesitant.

A shallow chuckle sounded from her right. “That’s what tonight’s for. Go ahead.”

Hannah started with a sizable sip. “I _really_ hate that I got demoted, and I still don’t know why.”

Tammy once again took the bottle from her and drank from it. “I hate that that happened to you, too. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Dwayne as much as told me that it had nothing to do with what happened with the FBI’s case.” Hannah brought her knees up and hugged them, resting her chin on top of them. “And I just can’t figure out what I could have done in my past that would make them want to do this.”

Tammy rubbed Hannah’s back in commiseration. “We don’t know that it was something you did. For all we know, they’re just saying that to hide their sexist double standards.”

Hannah reached back for the wine and took another, smaller sip this time. “I hate that being a woman of color means I have to question the motivation behind every promotion and punishment I get.”

A dark laugh fell past Tammy’s lips as she tugged the bottle back. “I’ll cheers to that. Being a woman is hard enough, but when you add in the fact that I’m gay, well that’s just the jackpot.”

Turning her head so her cheek rested on her knees, Hannah looked back at Tammy with a warm look in her eyes. “What an awful thing to bond over,” she mused.

“Hey, we’ve covered some really deep and systemic issues tonight,” Tammy defended, handing Hannah the bottle. “Finish that off, and I’ll open the other one.”

* * *

Hannah’s limbs felt warm and pleasantly heavy as she extended the half-empty second bottle of wine back to Tammy. “Wait, you didn’t say something that bothers you,” Tammy insisted, pushing the bottle back while she grabbed a handful of popcorn out of the bag between their legs.

“Hmmm, people who listen to their music on the street without headphones,” Hannah supplied, her tone lighter than it was before. Her shoulders had relaxed over the past hour, and she finally felt like she was getting back to normal. Tammy'd been right. Just voicing her thoughts made her anxiety levels go down, although the wine was also probably helping with that.

Tammy groaned and nodded in agreement. “They’re the worst.” Her chestnut curls had grown bushier in the time since they'd been drinking in the humid kitchen, and she finally gave up and tried to put her hair up in a bun. “Do you have a hair tie?” Hannah took the one off her wrist and handed it over. “Thanks, it was getting too hot in here.”

Plucking some popcorn from the bag, Hannah turned a little so she was facing Tammy, crossing her legs so she was sitting more comfortably. “Your turn, lady.”

“Hot coffee that’s gotten cold,” Tammy said definitively with a swig from the bottle. “Might as well be charcoal at that point.”

Hannah grimaced in agreement. “And microwaving it always seems to mess with the taste. There’s pretty much no saving cold coffee.” Her eyes alighted on a stray lock of hair that escaped Tammy’s bun. “You missed a piece,” she said, her hand going to the hair before she even registered it was moving, brushing Tammy’s neck in the process.

“Ugh, leave it. I’m too lazy to redo it.”

“Aw, come on, you don’t need to completely redo it,” Hannah said, climbing up onto her knees. “Here, let me.” She leaned forward, taking the hair to wrap it around the base of the bun and tuck it into the elastic hair tie. “See? Piece of cake.” She looked down and realized just how close she’d gotten to Tammy in the process, all but hugging the profiler’s face to her chest while she worked on her hair. Now that Tammy was allowed to tilt her head back up, she was just a few inches from Hannah’s face. “Oh,” she exhaled. “Sorry for the manhandling.” She still didn’t move though.

Tammy’s eyes flitted back and forth, searching her face. “Don’t worry about it,” she said in a hushed tone. She made no indication that she wanted to be let go either. Tammy’s skin looked incredibly soft, Hannah noticed, fighting the sudden, overwhelming urge to stroke her thumb against the other woman’s cheek.

Hannah finally let her hands fall away from Tammy and sat back on her heels, putting a slightly more acceptable distance between them. Her eyes remained fixed on Tammy’s though. She couldn’t seem to look away. Her heart raced. She felt like she’d just run a 10K, and she couldn’t really figure out why. “Should we keep going?”

Tammy nodded, handing over the bottle. “It’s your turn again.”

Hannah balanced the bottle on her knee while she contemplated what bothered her. But now her mind was consumed with how much being that close to her coworker seemed to affect her. “I, uh,” she cleared her throat to buy herself time. “I don’t like dating because I don’t like not knowing what the other person is thinking, and I don't like that uncertainty.” She took a drink, wondering why she’d gone more personal again when they’d transitioned to lighter topics once they opened the second bottle.

“Not one for the butterflies?” Tammy’s voice sounded deeper than usual, and her dark brown eyes seemed to grow even darker in the low lighting.

Hannah dropped her gaze to the bottle in her hand as she considered the question. She placed the bottle on the ground beside her with a sigh. “It’s been so long since I’ve even felt them that I just feel vaguely nauseous instead of excited.”

Tammy waited a few seconds before asking, “Do you feel them now?”

 _Yes_ , Hannah immediately thought to herself, feeling as if she was going to throw them up under Tammy’s intense stare. She felt like she couldn’t take a deep enough breath and wondered how the other woman couldn’t hear her heart pounding in her chest. Rather than answer, Hannah asked, “Do you?”

Tammy said nothing, continuing to contemplate Hannah’s face. Hannah felt her cheeks grow warmer as she waited for an answer, not used to being examined so thoroughly. Tammy, too, raised herself to her knees so she could lean closer. She took Hannah’s hand and tugged her forward, placing the hand over her heart. “What do you think?”

Hannah’s breath left her body when she felt the thundering beating under her hand. Her eyes met Tammy’s, and there was no mistaking the desire in her gaze this time. Her hand closed in a fist, gathering the material of Tammy’s shirt. Whether she tugged Tammy or Tammy pulled her, she couldn’t be sure, but it hardly mattered when she felt Tammy’s lips crash over hers.

Whatever she’d imagined kissing another woman would be like, she never expected it to be like this. Tammy’s lips were soft and pliant, but also insistent and hot, sending fire coursing through her veins. She tasted like merlot and popcorn. Rather than calming the butterflies, kissing Tammy sent them spiraling even higher in her throat. Hannah let go of Tammy’s shirt in favor of sliding her hand up to her neck, playing with the small hairs left out of the bun as she pulled Tammy’s face even closer. Tammy’s hands wrapped around her waist, her fingertips digging deliciously into her back as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

When Hannah felt the tongue tracing her lips for permission, she opened her mouth all too eagerly. Her head was spinning. Her other hand gripped Tammy’s arm in a bid to steady herself. Maybe it was the wine finally getting to her or Tammy or both, but she felt completely out of sorts. She needed to sit down—balancing on her knees was too precarious now. Gently pulling Tammy along with her, she shifted her weight backward, her hand leaving Tammy’s arm so she could feel behind her and shift to sitting on the tile once again. Tammy put her hands on the ground next to Hannah, pushing forward just a bit so she was balanced on all fours over Hannah, who leaned back, propped up by her arm.

Finally, when the need for air grew to be too much, the two separated. Hannah’s hand still rested on the back on Tammy’s neck, and she could feel the rapid pulse beneath her palm. Panting, Tammy curled her swollen lips up into a devilish grin. “Still feeling those butterflies?”

“You made them worse,” Hannah breathed, her chest heaving. Already, she missed the pressure of Tammy’s mouth on hers.

Tammy moved in for another, lighter kiss, lingering there with a smile when she felt Hannah kiss her back hungrily. “Come on,” she said, punctuating her words with a final peck and standing up.

Taking the offered hand, Hannah stood up and brushed herself off. “Where are we going?”

“I’d say my place, but Sebastian might have a stroke if he sees us.” She leaned down and grabbed the almost empty wine bottle and popcorn.

Hannah watched her pour the rest of the wine down the drain and trash the bottles, wondering how Tammy was suddenly so normal again. “So you want to come over to my place?” she deduced, still reeling from the events of the last few minutes.

Tammy paused in her ministrations, returning to stand in front of Hannah. She took Hannah’s hands and wrapped them around her back, squeezing them as she interlaced their fingers, peppering small kisses along Hannah’s neck. “We still gotta get rid of those butterflies of yours, right?” she whispered once she reached her ear. Hannah shuddered, her eyes fluttering closed, and nodded. “I know mine won’t go away for a while.”

Hannah turned her head and found Tammy’s lips once again, inhaling deeply through her nose as she drank in the feeling of her. When she pulled away, her eyes were dark. “Then I guess we better get started then."


End file.
